Mechanical movement



Nov. 11,1925 1.561.708 J.IH.FEAGAN MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Fil d 10, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Jaw/z EAaA/v Nov. 17, 1925' 1,561,708 J. H. FEAGANDIECHANI CAL MOVEMENT Filed Nov. 10, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jmmakoc JamH. l ZAGAN UQMQ Patented Nov. 17, 19125.

UNITED STATES JOHN HENRY FEAGAN. 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

Application filed November 10, 1924. Serial No. 748,980.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY FnAoAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Movements, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanical move ments, and more particularlyto means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion. 1 l

An object of the invention is the provision of means for convertingreciprocating motion, such as the movement of a piston rod, into rotarymotion, to drive a shatter the like, wherein the loss of power sufferedat the present time in the usual construction of crank connection isreduced.

In the operation of the ordinary crank, the distance traveled by the endof the reciprocating member, such as the piston rod, equals the diameterof a circle. The radius of the circle described by the crank is thushalf the length of the stroke of the piston. As the crank travels in acircle, it moves from a point at right angles to the line of travel. ofthe piston rod to a position in alinement therewith, or across thecenter of the shaft being driven.

In the presentinven'tion, I increase the efficiency of the engine orother machine by conserving a large per cent. of the motive power lostby machines now in use.

.In the accompanying drawings, I have shown the invention applied to anengine for the purpose of rotating the shaft due to the reciprocation ofthe pistons, in the engine cylinders. The invention is, i of course,applicable to any type of machine in which a reciprocating drive memberis connected toa shaft or other rotating mem ber. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an internal combustion engineshowing the invention applied,

Figure 2 is a similar view at right angles thereto,

Figure 3 is a perspective viewot driving means carried by the shaft andadapted to be connected to the piston rod,

Figure 4 is an elevation of a timer or stabilizing mechanism,

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the power transmitting mechanism on an.enlarged usual fly wheel 10 arranged thereon.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on line 6--6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a similar view on line 77 of Figure 5, and,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus shown inFigure 5 of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates generallyan internal combustion engine having the usual cylinders 2, which may beof any desired number. Pistons 3 are mounted in the cylinders and thepistons are provided with piston rods A. The cylindermay be providedwith the usual inlet and exhaust ports 5 having valves 6 arrangedtherein, which are operated in the usual manner by means of cams7,mounted on cam shafts 8. The engine is provided with a main shaft 9having the In place of the ordinary crank connection between the pistonsand the main shaft, I employ means whereby the leverage is constant andis not reduced as the revolving parts passdead center. A pair of guides11 are arranged at the bottom of the cylinder and a yoke or bar 12 isslidably mounted therein. The piston rod 1 is pivotally connected tothis yoke or bar, as at 13, and is adapted to cause the bar toreciprocate in the guides. A pair of rods 1% are rigidly connected tothe yoke 12 and extend downwardly. The lower ends of these rods areconnected by means of a suitable brace. These rods are provided withrack teeth 16 on their inner faces adapted to mesh with. gear teeth 17,formed on a segmental gear 18. The gear 18 is mounted on the main shaft9 and rigidly connected thereto by means of a key 19. As shown, theteeth of the gear extend substantially half way around its periphery. Asecond pair of rods or bars 20 are also connected to the yoke 12, theserods being hingedly connected as at 21. A pluralityof pins 22 arearranged.

in each of these bars and spaced an equal distance from eachother. Theintermediate pins are mounted fast in the bars and projeet from eachside (see Figure 8). The endpins are movably mounted in the bars and areadapted to project from one side thereof.

A pair of ratchet wheels 23 are mounted on the main shaft and keyedthereto, as at 24. These ratchetwheels are spaced from each. other asufficient distance to receive the section by means of springs tangularrods 32 are received in socket menr bers 3% which project from theengine casing 35 and are provided with suitable gears bars 20. As shown,the ratchet wheels are provided with spaced ratchet teeth which extendsubstantially half way around each of the ratchet wheels, and betweenthe teeth the wheels are provided with cam surfaces 26. The free ends ofthe bars 20 are connected to each other by a spring 27.

As stated, the end pins 22 are adapted to extend on one side of the bars20 and means are provided for projecting these pins on either side ofthe bar for the purpose of permitting the rotating part to be reversed.As shown, the pins are provided with rack teeth 28 in their upper facesand these teeth are adapted to mesh with gears 29, mounted on shafts 30.The shafts are mounted in suitable bearings 31 carried by the bars 20.These shafts are in turn connected to shafts or rods 32 which arerectangular in cross 33. The rec- 36 to permit the shafts to be rotatedfor the purpose of moving the end pins 22.

In operation, the main shaft 9 is adapted to be driven by the engagementof the pins 22 with the teeth 25 of the ratchet wheels. The ratchetwheel to the left or forwardin Figure 3 of the drawings is adapted to beengaged by the pins to drive the shaft in a counter-clockwise directionand the other ratchet wheel is adapted to be engaged for the purpose ofdriving the shaft in a clockwise direction. The ratchet teethareengagedby the pins in the bar to the right in Figure 5 of the drawingsas the piston moves upwardly in the cylinder and are en- .g'aged by thepins of the bar to the left as the piston moves in a reverse direction.The spring 2'? urges the bars-inwardly at all times, but one of the barsis maintained away from the ratchet wheel oneachstroke by the cam 26.

lVith the parts in the position shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, theupstroke of the piston is started and the ratchet wheel having the teetharranged to revolve the shaft in a counter-clockwise direction isadapted to be engaged by the pins. I or this purpose, the end pins areprojected on this side of the bars, or on the left side'of the bars inFigure 8 of the drawings. As the piston andits associated parts moveupwardly the pins 22 of the bar to the right successively engage theratchet teeth 25 to drive the ratchet wheel and shaft in acounter-clockwise direction. At the same time, the end pin on theopposite bar engages the cam portion of the ratchet wheel and -moves theopposite'bar outwardlyin order to preventtheremaining pins on theopposite side of the second'bar fromengagingthe ratchet teeth and'thusdriving-the shaft 111 a reverse direction. At the end of direction, theend pins are moved'to the opposite side of the bars. This may beaccomplished by the reversing mechanism shown, the shafts being rotatedand the pinions 29 meshing with the rack teeth 28 in the end pins tomove them to their alternative position. With the parts in the positionshown in Figure 5 of the drawings-and the end pins reversed, theupstroke ofthe piston causes the pins of the bar to the left in Figure 5to engage the second ratchet wheel and revolve the shaft in a clockwisedirection. At the end of the upstroke, the lower end pin of the bartothe right, rides over the last ratchet tooth and when the pistonrevolves in a reverse direction, the pins of the bar to the rightsuccessively engage the second ratchet wheel to continue the revolutionof the shaft in a. clockwise direction. The opposite bar is'thrown outofthe path of the ratchet teeth in the manner heretofore described bythe cam 26. The connection of the shaft 30 to the exterior of themachine by-means of the spring 33 and the slip joint between the parts32 and 3 1-, permits the shaft to swing when the bars 20 move ontheir'pivots. The spring tensionis sufficiently strong to revolvetheshaft when the member 32 is revolved by the socket member 34-.

it will be apparent that the provision of end pins projecting on onlyone side of the bar and movable to either side. permits the reversalofthe machinein the/manner described. lf the'end'pins projected to :eachside of the bar, with the partsin the.position shownin Figure 5 of thedrawings, the upper end pinof -the bar to the right, would engage the.teeth of bothratchetwheels and lock the machineagainst movement a's theratchet wheels would tend to revolvein the reverse direction. Byarranging the end pins on either side, the movement of :the shaft in thedesired direction throughthe selection of one ratchet wheel is startedand the intermediate pins do not interfere with the driving of themachine. Furthermore, with the end pin projecting on one side, the barsmay he alternately thrown out of'oporation by the engagement of the endpin and the cam.

The racks H and the segmental gear 17 function as a stabilizer or timer,and compel tended and any number of shafts driven therefrom in themanner described.

By means of the construction described, a substantially uniform leveragebetween the drive member and the driven member is obtained at all timesas the power is applied to the shaft at asubstantially uniform distancefrom the center of the shaft and at right angles to" the line ofmovement of the reciprocating member. As set forth, this differsmaterially from the ordinary crank connection where the crank passesover the 1 center line of the driving member and the leverage constantlychanges from maximum, the length of the shaft, to zero.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the sub joined claims.

I claim: i

1. In a device of the character described, a reciprocating member, apair of bars hingedly connected thereto, spaced pins mounted in saidbars, a driven shaft, aratchet Wheel mounted on said shaft and adaptedto be alternately engaged by said bars to revolve said shaft in onedirection, and timing mechanism connecting said reciprocating member tosaid shaft.

2. In a device of the character described,

a reciprocating member, a pair of substantially parallel bars hingedlyconnected thereto, said bars being provided with spaced pins, a drivenshaft, a pair of ratchet wheels mounted on said shaft and arranged onopposite sides of said bars, means for causing said pins to engageeither of said ratchet wheels to revolve said shaft in either direction,and means for alternately disengaging the pins of each bar from saidratchet wheel at the end of each stroke of said reciprocating member.

3. A device constructed in accordance with claim 2 wherein said end pinsare movable and are adapted to be arranged on either side of said barsto cause said pins to engage a selected ratchet wheel to drive saidshaft in a desired direction.

4.. A device constructed in accordance with claim 2 wherein the end pinsare mov ably mounted and are provided with rack teeth, and a. shaft isarranged adjacent each of said bars and provided with pinions adapted tomesh with said racks.

In a device of the character described, a reciprocating member, a pairof bars hingedly connected thereto and arranged sub stantially parallelto each other, spaced pins mounted in said bars, a driven shaft, aratchet wheel mounted on said shaft and adapted to be alternatelyengaged by said bars to drive said shaft in one direction, a pair ofrack bars mounted on said reciprocating member and arrangedsubstantially parallel to each other, and a segmental gear carried bysaid shaft and adapted to alternately engage the teeth of said rackbars.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOHN HENRY FEAGAN.

